Class T Amp + Bookshelves instead of computer speakers?

I've been wanting to replace an ipod dock that takes way too much space on my desk with a set of computer speakers. At first, I was looking at a set of logitech or AL 2.1 speakers, but i also wanted to get a headphone amp for my AKG k271. To kill 2 birds with one stone, I started looking at SMSL SAD-20 which is a USB DAC (to bypass crappy onboard), and a "t-amp" with 25wpc (realistically less tho).

According to the internets, these amps are "pretty good", but need efficient speakers. How efficient is up for debate (some recommending over 95db, others 88db+).

So my questions are - has anyone used any of these amps with the tripath chips? With a pair of bookshelfs, is it a viable replacement for computer speakers? How would it compare to a "regular" stereo amp or a cheap receiver?

Have a t-amp, was never really impressed by it in terms of quality. Depending on budget I'd look at studio monitors, most come powered, pro-pricing instead of audiofool pricing.

To expand on t-amp, it sounded ok on diy 2 ways and ascend 340se, but poor on ascend sierras. All improved with 200+ watts qsc amp. But its 'ok' for the price.. But again, studio monitors use similar amps, and are desidned with the combination in mind. Probably best idea imho. Head to music stores to listen!

If all you want is headphones and connecting to a ipod, just buy powered monitors like Audioengine or whatever.

Speaker sensitivity/power levels aren't important if they are right in front of you. And even still, power needs are often grossly over-estimated. 30 watts gets pretty loud, if you are within a few meters.

Well what is your budget? 100$ for a T-Amp and a set of speakers is mighty ambitious if your goal is to get a good sounding setup. Efficient speakers are usually fairly large or at least have fairly large woofers, which is basically the exact opposite of what you want if you want the cheapest speakers possible.

Seems like you want a headphone amp and new speakers. For the headphone amp, the unit you linked I would hope would be better than 75-100$ studio monitors, but who knows... The T-Amp I tried is like 15W total and I don't know just didn't have the guts to really power the speakers I tried, it was ok/decent to poor depending on speakers, but nothing great or out of the ordinary, definitely not as incredibly sweet sounding as some reviews would let you believe, but anyhow, neither of us would be using very efficient speakers anyhow.

Which brings us to speakers... Again, what is the budget? A good 'budget' pair of speakers start around 300$ imho. But then, you're not likely to find any very efficient ones, so you're back at the amp issue, 25W should be better than my 15W T-Amp, but it's not optimal. If you're looking at a receiver, well that's a couple extra hundred dollars.

Which brings us to the studio monitors, but then again I had more in mind the 400+ price range which if you go with Mackie, Adams, Genelec, whatever there's a lot of different brands, but even at [url=http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audi ... ce-monitor]300 there seems to be quite decent speakers like this[/url], which has an RCA connector so it's easy to plug with an adapter. But yeah, I think they've got more than 50W, can't say I've got much experience with them, but if I was upgrading I'd definitely be looking at the pro gear stuff, what little I heard definitely seemed quite interesting.. Behringers for instance are also 300, they also have RCA connectors, and for 300$ for a pair, powered, I don't know, I'd like to see what else you can get together for 300... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=123uP1jt3q0 The ones you've linked at 100$ are really tiny in comparison, so the bass will be far less decent.. but hey quite a bit cheaper too.

But yeah we've somewhat went away from the headphone amps lol Well depending on budget, at 300 amp included, you should have some $ left over for an headphone amp. But speakers are really something where if you put more $$$ you'll get a lot more quality. 300 is quite cheap for speakers, in the audiophile world you really get crap at that price, going ID (Internet Direct) for speakers you can get better gear and deals, but I think overall quality studio monitors give you very good bang for the buck.

If you have a musical instrument store they'll usually have studio monitors, might as well go hear a couple for yourself and see what you think!

I wanted to keep the budget low as to compare to computer speakers. Originally $100, and maybe $150 if i did buy a t-amp and craiglisted some bookshelves.

I currently have a technics sa-da10 receive & mission m31i speakers (that i haven't hooked up due to space limitations). I always liked B&W 601 speakers, and still plan to get those at some point, but this is not really a related discussion.

There's a pair of Roland MA-15D studio monitors on ebay going for about $100 right now. I have the previous MA-20Ds, and they have far more power than I need on my desk. Great sounding speakers. They also serve as a great headphone amp. The MA-15Ds have a bit less power than my 20s (15 wpc vs 20 wpc), but that shouldn't be an issue, and they do also have the subwoofer output which I wish my MA-20Ds had. They don't make those speakers anymore, and I don't know what is feature comparable these days.

I have the Audiosource AMP 100 hooked up to my HTPC, and I couldn't be happier with it. You might like the AMP 50, which I would have bought if I had known about it. No headphone jack though, but the auto power on/off is very nice.

You can see my set-up here (under the 'spoiler' tag). I am using a JVC Reciever I bought used for $20, it was from the mid 90s, powering 2 JVC Tower speakers from the same timeframe that I've had in a closet forever. Also connected are some smaller bookshelf type speakers, but I am actually taking those down, because the JVCs are so loud.

I also have a RC to Aux coming out of the "CD" input that runs next to my keyboard for my Ipod, so I can listen to music. This stuff is obviously older, but it was a pretty badass sound system back in the day, and they still sound great...

Amp: Dayton Audio DTA-1 - It's cheap, it's good and 15w is probably louder than they want.Speakers: Polk TSi100 or TSi200 - They are great sounding and decent enough looking - I really prefer MTMs, but the TMs are $150 vs ~$260

I find the combo to be pretty nice and the measurements in practice seem pretty nice and flat (the MTMs are a bit bass heavy, but it's fairly clean bass and most people seem to prefer a bit of a bass bump.)

After that, I went down to the local Good Will / Salvation Army store and picked up a decent pair of 6-ohm Aiwa (80-watts peak / 40-watts RMS) speakers for $6.

Sounds pretty good to me. I suppose if you had an equalizer, you could put it in the pre-amp stage and then you'd have a good setup.

Note: the only downside to this amp is that it does not appear to be compatible with 4-ohm speakers.

This. I picked up one of these amps to drive a pair of Definitive Technology ProMonitor 80s and a ProSub 60 as my computer/office setup. Does a stellar job. I'm very pleased with the sound quality and ability to drive far more volume than I'd ever want. Unit is small and feels like a solid hunk of metal. Only thing is that I find the headphone output to be a bit noisy (background hiss). If you just want music on your headphones, it will suffice, but if you are doing critical listening with some high-dollar cans, you'll be disappointed.

I use a pair of JBL Control-One speakers (£25 used off eBay) and an old Rotel RA-01 amp (inherited). The amp sits under my monitor. Any old integrated hi-fi amp would do fine (NAD 3020 are dirt cheap used).

I couldn't find the Roland/Edirol set anywhere and ended up picking up M-Audio AV40 (locally for $100). The speakers themselves are alright. The headphone output is pitiful, so I will be looking for a spdif/usb headphone amp with RCA outs.edit: and a sub, if i find a good deal on craigslist

After that, I went down to the local Good Will / Salvation Army store and picked up a decent pair of 6-ohm Aiwa (80-watts peak / 40-watts RMS) speakers for $6.

Sounds pretty good to me. I suppose if you had an equalizer, you could put it in the pre-amp stage and then you'd have a good setup.

Note: the only downside to this amp is that it does not appear to be compatible with 4-ohm speakers.

This. I picked up one of these amps to drive a pair of Definitive Technology ProMonitor 80s and a ProSub 60 as my computer/office setup. Does a stellar job. I'm very pleased with the sound quality and ability to drive far more volume than I'd ever want. Unit is small and feels like a solid hunk of metal. Only thing is that I find the headphone output to be a bit noisy (background hiss). If you just want music on your headphones, it will suffice, but if you are doing critical listening with some high-dollar cans, you'll be disappointed.

As a follow-up to this, I managed to get a Lanzar E750s pre-amp equalizer for cheap off ebay ($25?) and it's totally improved my system. It added so much Bass that my roommate (who DJs) asked me if I had a Subwoofer in my setup.